By Jabali Stewart, facilitator and Director of Intercultural Affairs at the Bush School

On January 22, I had the joy of sitting in a circle with members of the Seattle Afro-Latino Movement, Seattle Amistad School, families and friends associated with these organizations. It was a wonderful meeting and I was honored to have sat with all the participants. What made it all the sweeter for me was the fact that it was an intergenerational reunion. Participants of all ages shared their truths and listened to the truths of others, while younger members sat, danced, ate, and painted in or around the circle. It was obvious that I needed to improve my basic Spanish, but it was something special for me to sit in a bilingual circle, and I loved the way the participants took care of each other by interpreting and translating when needed.

The focus of the first round of this post-election circle was the fears that people carried with them. Many responses were given including fears of moving from one bad leader to another, apathy

in certain communities, divided minds, disenfranchisement in the Latino community, and a general feeling of lack of progress. We concluded with a roundtable asking ‘given everything we’ve heard, what are the things that adults in this space need to do?’ The first answer should surprise no one. It was ‘to create spaces to meet each other, and to be more intentional about creating these encounters.’ This call was strong. This call was clear; same as the call to the following:

• Pay more attention to legislation, especially in the eastern part of the state.
• One place to start is here .
• Read The Olympian, and/or find new resources. educate yourself
• Distribute the work of being informed and having meetings focused on sharing information.
• Listen and talk with people who don’t think like you.
• Get out of your bubble, go to the eastern part of the state.
• Find and provide space to laugh .
• Remember, the little things matter.
• Find ways to turn fear into action , and get involved.
• volunteer
• Help young people understand the need for education. Then help them succeed.
• Volunteer in Schools
• Go see Hidden Figures
• Reduce the accumulation and use of material goods.
• Investigate minimalism .

I thank MÁS for asking me to facilitate this circle and I thank all the people who participated and shared their wisdom; And I know there is so much more that we failed to bring to the surface. We have the answers we need. If ever there was a time to pay attention to our neighbors, it is now. This meeting, I am sure, is only one of many. This is what we need to do at this strange time. That they are well.

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This event culminated with a Puerto Rican bomb workshop led by Jade Power Sotomayor and the distribution of gifts donated by Toys for Tots. Thanks!